Swimming banned at Grantchester Meadows

King’s College, who owns the land, has banned swimming, barbecuing and boating on the meadows

Signs will be put in place to deter swimmers, and patrols will occasionally guard the areaAndrew Abbott/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

by Georgia Goble

This article is 4 years old

Thursday July 1 2021, 10:24am

King’s College has banned swimming on Grantchester Meadows, according to a letter circulated to Newnham residents by Cambridgeshire County Council.

It will also be prohibited to go boating or paddle boarding or to barbeque on the meadows.

The letter states that this is due to the increased use of the area in the last 18 months due to the pandemic, which has “put pressure on the habitat and facilities” and “the long term future of the meadows at risk.”

It goes on to express concerns over the erosion of the river bank due to this increased activity, which would “obviously have long term consequences for the whole area”.

BREAKING: Body found in River Cam

Signs will be put in place to deter swimmers, and patrols will guard the area, the letter states.

Councillor Lucy Nethsingha states in the letter: “I know Kings have not taken the decision lightly, as they do not want to discourage people from enjoying the area.

“The signs (and perhaps occasional patrols) are being put in place by Savills/Kings College, in consultation with Grantchester parish council, and while Newnham councillors have been kept informed we do not have control over these decisions.”

King’s College has owned much of the land in Grantchester for centuries.

Support Varsity

Varsity is the independent newspaper for the University of Cambridge, established in its current form in 1947. In order to maintain our editorial independence, our print newspaper and news website receives no funding from the University of Cambridge or its constituent Colleges.

We are therefore almost entirely reliant on advertising for funding and we expect to have a tough few months and years ahead.

In spite of this situation, we are going to look at inventive ways to look at serving our readership with digital content and of course in print too!

Therefore we are asking our readers, if they wish, to make a donation from as little as £1, to help with our running costs. Many thanks, we hope you can help!